Chicago, IL | December 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – Boeing issued the following statement regarding EU compliance obligations stemming from the ruling last June by the World Trade Organization against $18 billion of illegal European government subsidies to Airbus:
Today marks the deadline for European governments and EADS/Airbus to comply with the WTO’s landmark ruling against launch aid and other forms of illegal government subsidies that Airbus has been receiving for more than 40 years. EU officials earlier today publicly acknowledged their compliance obligation. In the days ahead Boeing will work with the U.S. Trade Representative to ensure that all of the illegal subsidies have indeed been removed and that full compliance has been achieved. We expect Airbus and its government sponsors to demonstrate that the practice of market-distorting launch aid – the most pernicious form of subsidy Airbus was found to have received – has ended.
- Full Implementation Of The Few Remaining Recommendations & Rulings Following EU Success On WTO Appeal In May 2011
- Airbus And Its Government Partners Committed To WTO Compliance
- Airbus Looks To Boeing To Live Up To Previous Rhetoric On WTO Compliance Next Year
December 1, 2011 – Europe has implemented the WTO findings and thus brought the parties into full conformity with WTO obligations. In May this year, the World Trade Organization (WTO) report resulted in a decisive victory for Europe, confirming that European partnership with Airbus is legal and that government support to Airbus did not cause material injury to Boeing. Whilst pleased with the WTO’s substantial affirmation of the European position in the decision, Airbus respects that the decision did contain limited findings of subsidy effects requiring action within six months of the decision.
“We only needed to make limited changes in European policies and practices to comply with the Appellate Body’s report; we did what we needed to do and we did it in the agreed timeframe,” said Rainer Ohler, Airbus’ Head of Public Affairs and Communications. “Today, we call on the US and Boeing to do the same next year. We realize that this will mean substantial sacrifice for Boeing due to the far broader scope and scale of WTO findings of US subsidy to Boeing”.
Following a review with independent experts of what obligations resulted from the WTO’s ruling, Europe has adopted a course of action. This addresses all forms of adverse effects, all categories of subsidies and all models of Airbus aircraft covered by the WTO report. As a result, Europe has ensured full implementation of the WTO recommendations and rulings. The WTO will publicly disclose information regarding these measures at a later stage. Airbus calls on all parties to recognize that Europe has implemented in good faith, and to return to vigorous marketplace competition rather than further attempts to stifle competition through unjustified legal processes.
Airbus calls for a show of similar good faith in the implementation of the judgment of Boeing aid coming early next year. Airbus remains concerned that recent media reports of massive federal tax subsidies for Boeing suggest that it will continue to flout the rules of the game. Airbus will carefully follow this separate case to ensure that the playing field remains fair on both sides of the Atlantic.
More information about the WTO cases: www.airbus.com/presscentre/hot-topics/wto
EVERETT, Wash.| Aug. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – The first Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner that will enter into service with launch customer ANA rolled out of the paint hangar today. The airplane bears a special livery signifying the core element’s of ANA’s service brand – innovation, uniqueness and the inspiration of Japan.
“Our teams are making outstanding progress in completing the first airplane to be delivered and achieving certification of the 787,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “We are inspired by the airline’s enthusiasm for this airplane and look forward to the day when we make our first delivery to ANA.”
ANA’s first 787 features a short-haul international interior design with business- and economy-class cabins. “ANA’s passengers will be the first to experience the 787 Dreamliner’s comfortable interior environment,” said Mitsuo Morimoto, ANA senior executive vice president and member of the board of directors. “Combined with ANA’s superior levels of service, passengers will enjoy a spacious interior, larger windows, comfortable seats and touch-panel in-flight entertainment screens.”
Some of the most innovative technologies aboard the 787 aren’t visible, but will help passengers have a more pleasant and comfortable flight. Passengers will arrive at their destinations feeling more refreshed with the airplane’s cleaner cabin air, lower cabin altitude and higher humidity.
Boeing plans to deliver the first 787 to ANA in September. ANA will operate its first 787 revenue flight as a charter international flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong.
Earlier this week someone asked us if an 802.11N aircraft router was in existence. Yep, and VT Miltope has one newly developed, approved, and ready for service…it is called the nMAP. Contact Bob Guidetti if you need more information (rguidetti@miltope.com). Check out the PDF data sheet below.
Airbus told us that they are going to raise prices this year by an average of 5.8% and it applies to all new aircraft sales beginning in 2010. This is the first price rise in two years. The price increases were calculated according to the Airbus standard escalation formula over the January 2008 to January 2010 period. “We have tried to keep prices down for as long as we can,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “However, even with record aircraft deliveries and impressive orders in recent years, the continuing strength of the Euro against the US Dollar and the ongoing financial challenges ahead have forced us to take action.” An ongoing US Dollar weakness, an increased cost of materials as well as commodities are all factors in the decision.
Here are a couple more tasty bits: You probably remember the story we broke a couple weeks ago about AeroMobile filing under “administration”, well now it seems that AeroMobile has finalized a deal in which it will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telenor Group. The deal will enable AeroMobile to emerge from “administration”, where it has been since late last year. On the airborne Wi-Fi front, Southwest Airlines is to begin installing equipment in an agreement with Row 44. The Ku Band solution will be installed on the Southwest fleet beginning in the second quarter 2010. The airline plans to install at a rate of 15 aircraft per month, accelerating to 25 per month later, with all installations complete by 2012.
We have been expecting a YouTube video chronicling the Airbus/Boeing subsidy struggle. You will find it in a link called Launch Aid below.
A long-time reader sent us pictures of a new South African regional carrier…”if these folks have a sense of humor on their livery, I’m flying with them the next time I am in South Africa.” Check out the detail, it is hilarious. We need more of this stuff! See the link below.
Like the little boy digging enthusiastically in a large pile of manure and exclaiming, “There must be a pony in here somewhere…”, we faced a daunting task again this week (plainly visible) as bits and pieces of inflight entertainment and aviation news came dribbling in to our offices. Not necessarily news, recent events on the supply chain front also piqued our interest. Both Boeing and Toyota have brought some new focus to the supply chain, and from our perspective, some overreaching in the value side of the supply chain is at issue here. This focus will no doubt, come into play on the airline side as well, but are by their nature, a bit less immune. As you may know, the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg is May 18 thru 20, 2010, and it looks like the supply chain is an issue here as well. “For this reason an important theme at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo will be how the cabin interiors supply chain can prepare for the expected upturn, while recognizing that conditions are still challenging. ‘Airlines are looking for a changing mix in the cabin – some will look to change the cabin interior to be able to fine tune to meet both demand and current capacity,’ said Ian Crawford, Group Exhibition Director at Reed Exhibitions.” We found a good accounting of a real world Boeing fastener problem that has to be a classic in the fastener SC…it’s in the links below. Also included are a couple other supply chain finds that may help you in your next meeting. As Boeing will no doubt tell you, tackling supple chain value is not without attendant risk.
Links:
- VT Miltope nMap data sheet (readers should note that the reference to DO-160D should be DO-160E)
- Launch Aid
- Kulula Aircraft PDF
- Supply Chain Links
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane #1 successfully lifted off from Paine Field in Everett, WA at 10:27 AM. The airplane will conduct an initial flight test and then land at Boeing Field in three to five hours.
The Boeing Company has a web site with information and video at http://www.newairplane.com/
Here are links to additional stories from local media sources covering the first flight:
- Seattle Times: Boeing 787 Dreamliner takes off on first flight
- Seattle P-I: 787 takes maiden flight
- KIRO TV: 787 Takes To Air In First Flight
- KOMO TV: 787 takes to the skies
EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) has completed installing reinforcements within the side-of-body section of two more 787 Dreamliners.
Over the weekend, employees at Boeing’s facility in Everett, Wash., finished reinforcing the full-scale static test airframe and the second Dreamliner designated for flight test. Installations were completed Nov. 11 on the first flight-test airplane.
The modification entails installing new fittings at 34 stringer locations within the joint where the wing is attached to the fuselage.
“Our focus now is on completing the static test later this month, which will validate the modification,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “Concurrently we are restoring the airplanes and completing the functional tests required to fly by the end of the year.”
The static test airframe is being refitted with strain gauges and instrumentation required for testing. Access doors, systems, seals and fasteners removed from airplane No. 2 to provide access are being restored in preparation for continued testing on the airplane. The first 787 also is being restored.
Fancher said the program is on track to fly the 787 by the end of the year.
“We are building momentum with each milestone we achieve,” Fancher said. “This team is focused on its goals and bringing us ever closer to first flight.”
SEATTLE, Oct. 28 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced that it has chosen its North Charleston, S.C., facility as the location for a second final assembly site for the 787 Dreamliner program. Boeing evaluated criteria that were designed to find the final assembly location within the company that would best support the 787 business plan as the program increases production rates. In addition to serving as a location for final assembly of 787 Dreamliners, the facility also will have the capability to support the testing and delivery of the airplanes.
“Establishing a second 787 assembly line in Charleston will expand our production capability to meet the market demand for the airplane,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “This decision allows us to continue building on the synergies we have established in South Carolina with Boeing Charleston and Global Aeronautica,” he said, adding that this move will strengthen the company’s competitiveness and sustainability and help it grow for the long term.
Boeing Charleston performs fabrication, assembly and systems installation for the 787 aft fuselage sections. Across the street, Global Aeronautica, which is 50 percent owned by Boeing, is responsible for joining and integrating 787 fuselage sections from other structural partners.
Until the second 787 assembly line is brought on line in North Charleston, Boeing will establish transitional surge capability at its Everett, Wash., location to ensure the successful introduction of the 787-9, the first derivative model of the 787. When the second line in Charleston is up and operating, the surge capability in Everett will be phased out.
“We’re taking prudent steps to protect the interests of our customers as we introduce the 787-9 and ramp up overall production to 10 twin-aisle 787 jets per month,” said Albaugh.
“While we welcome the development of this expanded capability at Boeing Charleston, the Puget Sound region is the headquarters of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Everett will continue to design and produce airplanes, including the 787, and there is tremendous opportunity for our current and future products here,” Albaugh emphasized. “We remain committed to Puget Sound.”
Approximately 55 airlines have ordered around 840 787 airplanes since the program was launched in 2003. The 787 family of airplanes will carry 200 to 250 passengers on flights up to 8,200 nautical miles (15,200 km). The 787 will be more efficient, quieter and have lower emissions than other airplanes while offering passengers greater comfort and the convenience of direct, nonstop flights between more cities around the world.
“The 787 will provide airlines with unprecedented operating economics and efficiencies. It also will take passengers where they want to go, when they want to go, and do it more comfortably and affordably than ever before,” Albaugh said. “This airplane will allow us to continue to set the standard for commercial aviation in the second century of flight.”
CHICAGO, Aug. 31 – Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson announced today that he will retire from the company at the end of the year.
Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney has named Jim Albaugh, 59, to Carson’s leadership role at Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), and Dennis Muilenburg, 45, to succeed Albaugh as president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). Both appointments are effective Sept. 1.
Carson, 63, has led BCA since 2006 after two years heading up the unit’s sales organization, where he was credited with reinvigorating sales of Boeing commercial airplanes and related services to airline customers and leasing companies around the world. He previously served as BCA’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, where he led the finance and business strategy organizations, as well as information systems and services. He also held leadership positions in the company’s defense business and was the first president of Connexion by Boeing.
“The Boeing board of directors and I appreciate Scott’s long record of accomplishment across many disciplines, functions and businesses, and the enduring contributions he has made to Boeing through 38 years of service,” said McNerney. “Thanks to his leadership and operational experience, Boeing Commercial Airplanes has performed extremely well in a tough business environment and remains positioned solidly for continued market success.”
McNerney said that Carson and Albaugh will work together to ensure a smooth transition of customer and other business relationships, and that Carson will also assist on special projects for the company through year end. He will continue to lead the United Way of King County’s 2009-2010 fund-raising campaign, even after his retirement.
Albaugh, a 34-year company veteran with extensive experience in development programs and manufacturing, has led Boeing’s defense, space and associated services businesses since 2002. Under his leadership IDS revenue has grown from $25 billion to an expected $34 billion in 2009, and now accounts for roughly half of Boeing’s annual sales. Prior to his most recent assignment, he led Boeing’s growth in space and communications, including network-centric operations, global missile defense, combat systems, and system-of-systems technologies. He began his career with Rockwell’s aerospace and defense businesses, which Boeing acquired in 1996.
“Jim is a seasoned and effective aerospace executive with substantial experience leading and integrating technically complex businesses and programs from initial development through full production and delivery. His program management and engineering focus will help ensure the success of BCA’s key development and production programs,” McNerney said. “On top of that, as a Washington state native and the leader of more than 9,000 IDS employees working in the Puget Sound region, he is familiar with the people, issues and programs in the area. He is the ideal leader for BCA at this time,” he added.
Muilenburg moves to his new position from Integrated Defense Systems’ Global Services & Support unit, where he served as president of the $8 billion business that provides global after-delivery support for military platforms and systems, as well as a broad array of defense and government services. Prior assignments include leadership of the Combat Systems Division and Future Combat Systems, the company’s development program for the U.S. Army. He also led the overall engineering development of Boeing’s program to modernize global air traffic management systems.
“Dennis is ready to step up and lead the IDS team,” said McNerney. “His experience in technology integration; track record delivering large-scale programs on time and budget; and work with customers in new, developing markets will help us generate new momentum and long-term growth,” he added.
Albaugh holds bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and physics from Willamette University, and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Columbia University. He will relocate soon to the Seattle area.
Born in Iowa, Muilenburg earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington. He will continue to be based in St. Louis and spend substantial time in the Washington, D.C. area.
A replacement for Muilenburg will be named at a later date.
CHICAGO, Aug. 27 – The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) today announced that the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner is expected by the end of 2009 and first delivery is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2010.
The new schedule reflects the previously announced need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft, along with the addition of several weeks of schedule margin to reduce flight test and certification risk. The company projects achieving a production rate of 10 airplanes per month in late 2013.
“This new schedule provides us the time needed to complete the remaining work necessary to put the 787′s game-changing capability in the hands of our customers,” said Boeing Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jim McNerney. “The design details and implementation plan are nearly complete, and the team is preparing airplanes for modification and testing.”
Based on the revised schedule and other assumption updates, the company has determined that the 787 program is not in a forward-loss position.
However, separate from the updated program profitability assessment, the company has concluded that the initial flight-test airplanes have no commercial market value beyond the development effort due to the inordinate amount of rework and unique and extensive modifications made to those aircraft. Therefore, costs previously recorded for the first three flight-test airplanes will be reclassified from program inventory to research and development expense, resulting in an estimated non-cash charge of $2.5 billion pre-tax, or $2.21 per share, against third-quarter results. This charge will have no impact on the company’s cash outlook going forward.
The 787 team working the side-of-body reinforcement has completed initial testing and is finalizing design details of new fittings that are expected to ensure full structural integrity of the joint. The static test procedure that uncovered the issue will be repeated and the results fully analyzed before first flight is conducted. Fatigue testing also will be performed on stringer components to validate the long-term durability of the modification.
The first 787 test airplane and static test unit have been prepared for the new fittings. Installation is expected to begin within the next few weeks.
Boeing will discuss this announcement during a webcast starting at 10:00 a.m. EDT today. That webcast is accessible through www.boeing.com. The company will update its 2009 financial guidance in October when it reports third-quarter results.
16 July 2009 – Singapore Airlines has launched an aircraft cabin retrofit programme that will see new interior products introduced on some of its Boeing 777s from later this month.
In maintaining a focus on service, innovation and product leadership, an initial batch of seven B777-300s will be refitted with the Airline’s most recent cabin offerings. This will include the installation of new seats in First and Business classes, improvements in Economy class and in-flight entertainment system enhancements. The programme will provide customers additional comfort and more space, while there will also be greater product consistency across the fleet.
The Airline intends to extend the programme at a later date to more B777 aircraft, details of which will be announced when plans are firmed up.
The first aircraft in the retrofit programme will operate on the Singapore-Sydney route from 22 July. Through the end of this year, as more B777-300s are fitted with the new interior products, selected services to Shanghai and Dubai, as well as flights to Riyadh and Istanbul from Dubai, will also be operated with these aircraft.
Singapore Airlines strives to continually improve its products and services. The cabin renewal programme, launched in spite of the business challenges the world’s airlines are facing, is an investment in improving our customers’ travel experience. In response to customer feedback, the programme will include improvements across all classes.
First Class in the newly refitted aircraft will offer eight luxurious seats, 35 inches wide, providing enhanced privacy, personal attention, convenience and entertainment. For the best sleeping experience, the seat converts into the largest full-flat bed in the sky, complemented with luxurious soft furnishings.
Business Class will feature a contemporary, lavish leather incline lie-flat seat with an advanced control panel allowing the customer to personalise seating preference or select from various preset options. The seat also features a six-way adjustable headrest and lumbar support for more comfortable rest and maximum ergonomic support.
The Economy Class cabin will also be refurbished, with a new contemporary look. Seat covers are specially designed by Givenchy using richer, softer fabrics, similar to those found on Singapore Airlines’ new Airbus A380 and B777-300ER aircraft.
Singapore Airlines’ award-winning KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system will also be enhanced to provide improved Audio-Video On Demand features in all cabin classes. First Class seats will be fitted with larger 23-inch screens and Business Class seats will feature 15.4-inch screens. The system will also have an updated, more intuitive and user-friendly graphical interface across all cabin classes.
About Singapore Airlines
When Singapore Airlines was formed in 1972, it operated a modest fleet of 10 aircraft to just 22 cities in 18 countries. With a commitment to fleet modernisation, product and service innovation and market leadership, the Airline quickly distinguished itself as a world-class carrier.
Today, Singapore Airlines operates a modern passenger fleet of more than 100 aircraft and its network, including Singapore Airlines Cargo and SilkAir destinations, currently covers a total of 98 destinations in 40 countries.
In October 2007, Singapore Airlines made aviation history again as the first to fly the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380.
About Star Alliance
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach and a smooth travel experience. Star Alliance received the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award in 2008 and was voted Best Airline Alliance by Business Traveller Magazine in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and by Skytrax in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. The members are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Aegean Airlines, Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers 17,000 daily flights to 916 destinations in 160 countries.
SEATTLE, July 13 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) and members of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, an airline-led industry working group, today announced that several leading air carriers have been accepted as members to the group. Existing members welcome the new group members Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, TUIfly and Virgin Blue.
Current airline members include Air France, Air New Zealand, ANA (All Nippon Airways), Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, SAS and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Boeing and Honeywell’s UOP, a refining technology developer, are associate members.
Since its launch in the fall of 2008, the User Group has established a foundation of airlines, environmental organizations, research projects and practices and principles that can help accelerate the commercialization and availability of sustainable biofuels.
User Group members have pledged to work through the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), a global multi-stakeholder initiative, consisting of leading environmental organizations, financiers, biofuel developers, biofuel-interested petroleum companies, the transportation sector, developing-world poverty alleviation associations, research entities, and governments. All RSB and User Group members agree that working across sectors, interests and regions is the best approach to ensure the next generations of biofuels are developed in a sustainable manner.
Working through User Group representatives, aviation industry input is being included in “Version 1″ RSB principles and standards, which will be the first widely reviewed and accepted set of international standards for sustainable biofuel production. These standards will be tested, improved and tailored via future User Group and RSB stakeholder efforts and verified through peer-reviewed research and development collaboration.
These strategic efforts by User Group members and RSB stakeholders are focused on making renewable fuel sources available that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while lessening commercial aviation’s dependence on fossil fuels and potentially reduce aviation sector exposure to fuel price volatility.
In addition to previously announced research projects on algae and jatropha curcus the group will also launch a sustainability assessment of halophytes, a class of plants that thrive in saltwater habitat, later this year. That effort will assess lifecycle CO(2 )emissions and socio-economic impacts. Additional details will be announced closer to the project launch date. All of these sustainability assessments will be subject to scientific peer review and used by the RSB process to guide improvements to “Version 1.”
“Aviation is stepping up and addressing its environmental and fuel challenges and the work being done by these industry leaders is at the forefront of that effort,” said Billy Glover, managing director, Environmental Strategy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Tremendous technical progress has been demonstrated over the past several years, and as we move closer to approval to use these advanced generation fuels, we are rapidly developing sustainability practices and conducting ongoing research to ensure we remain on the right path.”
To be eligible for membership, group members must subscribe to sustainability criteria that stipulate the following:
Jet fuel plant sources should be developed in a manner that is non-competitive with food and where biodiversity impacts are minimized; in addition, the cultivation of those plant sources should not jeopardize drinking water supplies.
Total lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from plant growth, harvesting, processing and end-use should be significantly reduced compared to those associated with jet fuels from fossil sources.
In developing economies, development projects should include provisions or outcomes that improve socio-economic conditions for small-scale farmers who rely on agriculture to feed them and their families and that do not require the involuntary displacement of local populations.
High conservation value areas and native eco-systems should not be cleared and converted for jet fuel plant source development.
For more information, please visit: www.safug.org.
SEATTLE, July 7 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced today that it has agreed to acquire the business and operations conducted by Vought Aircraft Industries at its South Carolina facility, where Vought builds a key structure for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner airplane.
The Vought facility, located in North Charleston, performs fabrication and assembly of structures and systems installation of 787 aft fuselage sections, which are made primarily of composite materials. After the transaction, Vought will continue its work on many Boeing programs, including other components of the 787, as well as structures and components on the 737, 747, 767, 777, C-17 and V-22 through operations located elsewhere.
“Integrating this facility and its talented employees into Boeing will strengthen the 787 program by enabling us to accelerate productivity and efficiency improvements as we move toward production ramp-up,” said Scott Carson, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “In addition, it will bolster our capability to develop and produce large composite structures that will contribute to the advancement of this critical technology.”
“We take great pride knowing that we have been able to satisfy the technological and physical demands of the 787 program alongside much larger companies,” said Elmer Doty, president and CEO of Vought Aircraft Industries. “However, the financial demands of this program are clearly growing beyond what a company our size can support. We are pleased that we will continue our 787 involvement at a component manufacturing level, as well as provide ongoing technical capabilities that have helped make Charleston a world-class composite facility.”
Through the agreement, Boeing will acquire the North Charleston facility, its assets and inventory and will assume operation of the site, and the parties will resolve all matters related to Vought’s prior work on the 787 program. The cash consideration to be paid to Vought at closing is approximately $580 million. In addition, Boeing will release Vought from its obligations to repay amounts previously advanced by Boeing. Separately, Boeing entered into new agreements with Vought for work packages on the 737, 777 and 787.
This transaction is anticipated to close in the third quarter following satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including consent from Vought’s lenders.
Once acquired, the North Charleston facility will be managed by the 787 program. “We look forward to welcoming the South Carolina team to Boeing and continuing our relationship with Vought to bring the most value to the 787 and our other programs,” said Carson.
CHICAGO, July 2 — The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) announced today deliveries across its commercial and defense operations for the second quarter of 2009.
Major program deliveries during the second quarter were as follows:
2nd Quarter Year-to-Date
Major Programs 2009 2009
Commercial Airplanes Programs
737 Next Generation 99 190
747 2 6
767 3 6
777 21 44
Total 125 246
Integrated Defense Systems Programs
Apache (New Builds) 8 13
Chinook (New Builds) 1 1
C-17 4 7
Delta II - Commercial - -
Delta IV - Commercial 1 1
F-15 2 6
F/A-18E/F and EA-18G 13 23
Satellites (Government & Commercial) 2 3
T-45TS 2 4
767 Tanker (International) - 1
EVERETT, Wash., June 23 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced that first flight of the 787 Dreamliner will be postponed due to a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft.
The need was identified during the recent regularly scheduled tests on the full-scale static test airplane. Preliminary analysis indicated that flight test could proceed this month as planned. However, after further testing and consideration of possible modified flight test plans, the decision was made late last week that first flight should instead be postponed until productive flight testing could occur.
First flight and first delivery will be rescheduled following the final determination of the required modification and testing plan. It will be several weeks before the new schedule is available. The 787 team will continue with other aspects of testing on Airplane #1, including final gauntlet testing and low-speed taxiing. Work will also continue on the other five flight test aircraft and the subsequent aircraft in the production system.
Scott Carson, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes said a team of experts has already identified several potential solutions.
“Consideration was given to a temporary solution that would allow us to fly as scheduled, but we ultimately concluded that the right thing was to develop, design, test and incorporate a permanent modification to the localized area requiring reinforcement. Structural modifications like these are not uncommon in the development of new airplanes, and this is not an issue related to our choice of materials or the assembly and installation work of our team,” Carson said.
Boeing’s financial guidance will be updated to reflect any impact of these changes when the company issues its second quarter 2009 earnings report in July.
If you have not seen the latest airliner sales projections from Boeing you might want to first check out their web offering of the Current Market Outlook (vs Airbus). As one might expect, both Boeing and Airbus see growth in the short term time frame, the current market conditions might temper their estimates later this year. Airbus calls an average growth of 4.9% per year while Boeing sees a 5% growth annually. While most Inflight Entertainment Marketing troops abide by this data, aircraft vendor backlog is just as important.
Both Boeing and Airbus ooze optimism with Airbus seeing some 24,300 new planes in the next 20 years and Boeing looking toward 29,000.
Why the difference? As can be expected, they differ in the following ways:
| Single-Aisle | Twin-Aisle | Very Large | |
| Airbus | 55% | 35% | 9% |
| Boeing | 71% | 25% | 4% |
The A380 bias is at work here (2% so far this year) and the IFE crowd needs to get it straight for future production planning purposes. Wouldn’t it be great to develop a scalable system whereby one size fits all…just more of it?
With an average from the producers of 799 aircraft per year, it will be interesting to see what 2010 brings. As airline analysts are now talking about a worldwide loss of $10.4B, this average is hard to imagine in the short term and this must mean order delays/cuts. The economy is the driver here but with airlines like JAL cutting service and looking at $1B – $2B yen loans, the uptick is not here.
From a future planning point of view, Boeing sees growth percentages in the single-aisle market and declination in the “Very Large” category (surprise). Airbus, on the other hand, sees 68% of the next 20 years worth of planes being single-aisle while Twins occupy some 25%. This leaves a 20 year estimate for “Very Large” planes at 9%. A lot certainly depends on the A350 and B787. Growth in the regional sector might also challenge some vendors of IFE as smaller, cheaper, and lighter are becoming the IFE of the future. With China seeing growth almost 30% beyond the world economy, IFE content better include Chinese subtitles.
LE BOURGET, France, June 16 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) continues to make steady progress on its largest commercial development programs, the 787 Dreamliner and the 747-8. Pat Shanahan, vice president of Airplane Programs for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, reported the progress at the 48th International Paris Air Show, affirming the company will fly these two newest and boldly innovative products this year: the 787 by the end of second quarter and the 747-8 Freighter by the end of the year.
With the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner imminent, Shanahan said, “We now are preparing to conduct final testing to verify that the airplane is ready to enter the flight test program. From there, we will go through taxi testing and then the airplane will take to the sky. That will be an emotionally intense day for everyone who had a part in reaching this key milestone.”
The 747-8 Freighter and Intercontinental also are making progress with their engineering and final assembly in Everett, Wash. The first four 747-8 Freighters are in various stages of assembly at the factory, with the first 747-8 Freighter more than 50 percent assembled. For the 747-8 Intercontinental, more than 30 percent of design releases are complete. “And the engineering on the airplane is better than planned,” Shanahan said.
While the development programs receive considerable attention, Shanahan stressed there is equal intensity to continuously improve production operations on the 777, 737, 767 and P-8A Poseidon. “It’s all about driving execution to the highest levels. The Boeing family of airplanes leverages our expertise in providing the features, technology and performance that our customers want,” he said.
Accomplishments are made every day in the Commercial Aviation Services business unit as well. “We offer the industry’s most complete selection of aviation services to meet our customers’ needs any time, any place,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan concluded by emphasizing that Boeing Commercial Airplanes is committed to maintaining a pace of technology development that “keeps us making great airplanes even better.”
EVERETT, Wash., June 15 – The second Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner has moved to the flight line to begin fuel testing. This is the second of six 787s being used in the all-new airplane’s flight-test program.
“Momentum continues to build with each milestone achieved,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 Dreamliner program.
Each of the six flight-test airplanes will be used for a specific set of tests during the flight-test program. This airplane, designated ZA002, will focus on systems performance. Like its predecessor, ZA001, this airplane has successfully completed a rigorous series of tests while still in the factory. Fuel testing began immediately upon the airplane entering the fuel dock.
ZA002 features the livery of the Dreamliner’s launch customer, ANA (All Nippon Airways) of Japan.
“ANA will be the first to fly the 787 Dreamliner in commercial service,” Fancher noted. “We are honored to fly in ANA livery throughout the flight-test program as a tribute to our partnership in bringing this all-new airplane to market.”
The 787 Dreamliner has 865 orders from 56 airlines.
PARIS (June 15, 2009) – Rockwell Collins’ next generation avionics systems are installed and in final preparations for the first flight of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner airplane. The company provides and serves as systems integrator for the airplane’s flight deck display system and crew alerting system, pilot controls, communication and surveillance systems, the aircraft’s common data network, and the core network cabinet.
“We’re tremendously proud of our success in meeting and exceeding our program milestones for the 787 Dreamliner and eagerly anticipate the airplane’s first flight,” said Kelly Ortberg, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Commercial Systems at Rockwell Collins. “Rockwell Collins has been an active teammate with Boeing throughout the design and development of this new airplane. We’re excited about the relationship we’ve built with Boeing during this process, and look forward to realizing the advancements in safety, efficiency and sustainability that will be made with our next generation avionics.”
During the development and design process, Rockwell Collins has served on Boeing’s 787 Partner Council and has employees working onsite at Boeing participating in day-to-day program design, integration and production activities.
Rockwell Collins content on Boeing’s 787 airplane includes an integrated display system featuring five 15.1-inch diagonal LCD displays – four across the flight deck and one in the control stand for emulation of the Control Display Units (CDU) – as well as dual LCD head-up displays (HUD). The system utilizes cursor control devices and a multi-function key pad for data entry and retrieval. Rockwell Collins employed advanced model based development processes and tools to make significant reductions in development cost, cycle time and life cycle costs typically associated with display systems.
The 787 flight deck also features Rockwell Collins’ latest generation of pilot controls – further advancing the company’s leadership in design, integration and manufacturing of this technology. Rockwell Collins has developed the control stand including auto throttles, and pitch, roll, yaw and primary flight controls, as well as their interfaces to the aircraft’s fly-by-wire systems. The modular design of the pilot controls will simplify installation and maintenance. This new system meets Boeing’s objective of providing operators with a look and feel similar to the Boeing 777, while achieving significant weight savings.
Rockwell Collins provides a newly developed Integrated Surveillance System (ISS) for the 787. This highly integrated system includes functions such as hazard detection, traffic alert and collision avoidance, Mode S surveillance, and terrain awareness and warning capabilities.
The 787′s communication system includes Rockwell Collins’ VHF-2100, SAT-2100 and HFS 900D. The lighter weight, highly reliable VHF-2100 is VDL Mode 2 capable with future growth to VDL Mode 3 and 4. The new, smaller and more reliable SAT-2100 supports the International Civil Aviation Organization’s safety services, as well as three channels of voice communications and offers growth to future Inmarsat Swift high-speed data capabilities. As part of the communications package, Rockwell Collins is also providing a state of the art digital flight deck audio system, and the cockpit voice and flight data recording system.
The Core Network, offered as basic on the 787, leverages Rockwell Collins’ investment in Information Management products. This next generation of the Core Network plays a key role in Boeing’s objective to ‘e-enable’ the entire aircraft. Utilizing commercial open standards, the Core Network hosts a wide range of third-party applications, and manages onboard information flow, to improve airline operational efficiency.
The 787′s Common Data Network (CDN) advances Rockwell Collins’ leadership as a supplier of advanced networking technologies. As a key component of GE Aviation Systems’ Common Core System, the CDN is a high integrity, bi-directional fiber optic and copper network that uses ARINC 664 protocols and standards to manage the information flow between the aircraft’s onboard systems. Based on commercial Ethernet technology, adapted to the avionics environment, the integrity and deterministic characteristics of Rockwell Collins’ CDN allows systems integrators to utilize this network for systems requiring a high level of data criticality. The CDN offers significant improvements over current generation data buses including expanded connectivity, higher data rates and significant reductions in aircraft weight when compared with point to point topologies.
In addition to leadership and engineering support, Rockwell Collins has used its service center in the region – the Kent Service Center – to actively support the program. Much of the work for 787 has been done at the company’s facilities in Iowa; Melbourne, Fla.; Irvine, Calif.; and Portland, Ore.
About Rockwell Collins
Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is a pioneer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronic solutions for both commercial and government applications. Our expertise in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, mission communications, information management and simulation and training is delivered by nearly 20,000 employees, and a global service and support network that crosses 27 countries. To find out more, please visit www.rockwellcollins.com.
EVERETT, Wash., June 8 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) has completed the intermediate gauntlet phase of testing on the first 787 Dreamliner.
During the testing, pilots and engineers simulated multiple scenarios using all airplane systems as if the aircraft were in flight, including power, avionics and flight controls. Test scenarios ranged from standard flights to single and multiple systems failures during flights.
Intermediate gauntlet testing included about one week’s worth of operations on the airplane and hundreds of discrete test conditions.
“The team has done an incredible job supporting an exhaustive test regimen,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “I couldn’t be more proud.
“We will continue to take a hard look at the results, make adjustments and finish up our testing so we can get to first flight.”
Beginning June 9, at noon PDT (7 p.m. GMT), video highlights including the road to gauntlet, gauntlet testing highlights and a tribute to the men and women conducting the gauntlet testing can be found at www.boeing.com and www.newairplane.com.
The headset is the most critical part of any IFE system. It defines the quality of audio delivery and its look and feel defines the quality of the Airline. The headset is probably responsible for more passenger complaints, and IFE reliability issues than any other IFE component - so why do most airlines leave its procurement to the catering department?”
